1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to management of distribution frames used in telephone networks for providing connectivity between customer lines and switches.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telephone service networks use distributing frames (also referred to as main distributing frames (MDFs) for providing connectivity between the customer telephone lines and the switches that route telephone calls among the various telephone lines. One type of MDF is referred to as the “universal modular distributing frame” and the other as the “conventional distributing frame.” These frames are designed for equipment and outside plant cable termination. Universal modular distributing frames are designed to place the equipment and cable terminations in alternating modules of frame lineup. Such MDFs have equal numbers of facility modules and equipment modules and are thus symmetrical in construction and use. The modules or blocks are installed on shelves and tend to have the same vertical dimension. Conventional frames typically have a front and a back side. One side includes a number of vertical sections (verticals) and the other side has a number of horizontal sections or shelves. The outside plant equipment is installed on the verticals and can vary in size, and the line equipment is installed on the horizontal sections. The telephone lines (typically twisted copper pairs) are connected to blocks on the verticals, while the other side is connected to lines coupled to a switch. Each such block typically can accommodate 50-128 pairs of wires. Each frame can house several blocks, thereby enabling each frame to connect to several thousand telephone lines.
Telephone companies typically divide their overall service area, which may spread over several states, into smaller geographical service areas. Each such area typically has a “central office” (CO) (also referred to as the “wire center”) that houses the switches and frames for the particular service area. Each CO typically houses a large number of frames that can often serve thousands of customers. To provide telephone lines to new neighborhoods or to disconnect service, requests are made for assignment of blocks and frames. Technicians install new blocks or use currently available blocks according to the assignments made and establish connections between the customer lines and the switch. A central office may include a large number of modular frames and/or conventional frames. Current systems provide management of modular systems by providing certain reports that show available blocks and available shelf spaces for installing the blocks. Such systems are difficult to use and generally do not adequately address the inventory and space assignment or management of the conventional frames.
Thus, there is a need for improved system and method for managing the inventory and space assignment process for frames, including the conventional frames.